Latest / Hawaii Travel Podcast by Hawaii’s Best: Plan a Better Hawaii Vacation / 7 Essential Things to Know Before Visiting Hawaii
Transcript
- 0:00Bryan Murphy: Before visiting Hawaii.
- 0:01Bryan Murphy: There are a few things you need to know that will help your visit be even more incredible.
- 0:05Bryan Murphy: This episode is packed with seven things you must know before visiting Hawaii, so stay tuned for this one and let's cue the intro.
- 0:15Hawaii's Best: Aloha.
- 0:15Hawaii's Best: Welcome to Hawaii's Best.
- 0:17Hawaii's Best: Here you'll learn what to know before traveling, as we discover Hawaiian culture, local businesses and the experiences that make Hawaii one of the most incredible places in the world.
- 0:28Hawaii's Best: And now your host, brian Murphy.
- 0:32Bryan Murphy: It's hard to believe that summer is almost over, as we're kind of in mid-August already schools getting back in session.
- 0:39Bryan Murphy: That means less crowds in Hawaii, which could be cool if you're planning a trip in September, october.
- 0:45Bryan Murphy: You know I just wrote an article about Hawaii in September, so we're going to link that in the episode description of this and you can just see what Hawaii is like in September.
- 0:56Bryan Murphy: Personally, I love September.
- 0:59Bryan Murphy: I love traveling in September.
- 1:00Bryan Murphy: I really love traveling in October.
- 1:02Bryan Murphy: That's actually one of our favorite months to visit Hawaii.
- 1:05Bryan Murphy: But next week, next week is going to be a big episode.
- 1:09Bryan Murphy: I'm really excited because it's going to be a Made in Hawaii episode.
- 1:13Bryan Murphy: The Made in Hawaii Festival is happening at the Convention Center in Honolulu on August 18, 19, and 20.
- 1:21Bryan Murphy: The Made in Hawaii Festival is in its 29th year and this is a great time to come together, support Hawaii, buy Hawaii for Hawaii, its local vendors, and there's going to be stuff that you can't get anywhere else at this.
- 1:35Bryan Murphy: And it's not just about products.
- 1:37Bryan Murphy: There's also going to be chef demonstrations and, as well, there's going to be music.
- 1:42Bryan Murphy: And next week why I'm excited, next Wednesday, is we're going to be featuring some of those vendors and some of those chefs and some of those musicians that will be at this year's Made in Hawaii Festival.
- 1:52Bryan Murphy: So, if you're lucky enough to be on the island of Oahu for this incredible festival, definitely would encourage you to go to the episode description of this and I'll link up an article that I wrote all about the Made in Hawaii Festival, how you can buy your tickets and what to expect for this year's festival, because it's a very first year it's going to be at the Convention Center, so there's some things to know about it before you go.
- 2:16Bryan Murphy: But today we're talking about all things what to know before visiting Hawaii and we're going to cover things like lay etiquette, plastic bags, marine life, ocean safety, sunscreen Hawaiian word snow and leaving no trace.
- 2:32Bryan Murphy: Some of these I have covered in depth on previous podcast episodes, so be sure to go back and look for that.
- 2:38Bryan Murphy: One, for example, is the Hawaiian language.
- 2:42Bryan Murphy: That was with our friend, kahanuala Solitorio, who is a Hawaiian language teacher, kumu of Hawaiian language, and I encourage you to go back and listen to that one.
- 2:51Bryan Murphy: And we've touched on a lot of these on different episodes and kind of passing, but I just kind of want to compile a short list, a short seven, and we're going to go quickly through this.
- 3:01Bryan Murphy: I love to keep these solo episodes pretty quick.
- 3:03Bryan Murphy: I don't know about you, I just love to get the info, save the info and so I can refer back to it when I need it.
- 3:09Bryan Murphy: So I try to keep these solo episodes pretty quick and to the point.
- 3:13Bryan Murphy: So we're going to start off right now.
- 3:16Bryan Murphy: Number one All right, so this is lay etiquette.
- 3:19Bryan Murphy: So when you arrive or you leave, you may be given a lay, and this is a gesture of aloha, love, affection.
- 3:26Bryan Murphy: So you should always graciously accept it and not reject a lay.
- 3:31Bryan Murphy: And the hug or kiss on the cheek that comes with the lay more often than not, is part of the customary of it.
- 3:37Bryan Murphy: Now, a closed or a tied lay should rest on the shoulders, so half drape in the front and half down the back, and open, untied lay are worn around the neck with each side hanging evenly down the front.
- 3:51Bryan Murphy: And if you happen to be pregnant, you should wear only open lay, as closed lays are considered bad luck.
- 3:59Bryan Murphy: So if you're pregnant, wear an open lay.
- 4:04Bryan Murphy: Number two Number two bring your own bags.
- 4:08Bryan Murphy: Be aware that Hawaii has banned plastic bags because of environmental concerns, so plastic is one of the major contributors to the huge garbage patches floating in the ocean.
- 4:18Bryan Murphy: As a result, many marine animals become entangled in it and they eat it.
- 4:22Bryan Murphy: So, mainly because of this, hawaii has banned plastic bags.
- 4:26Bryan Murphy: So carry your own bags when you shop, or you'll be charged for each reusable bag that the store provides for your purchases, so be aware of that extra expense.
- 4:35Bryan Murphy: The best way is just to bring your own bags and just a bonus tip that prices are just higher in Hawaii than the continental US because many goods have to be shipped to Hawaii.
- 4:48Bryan Murphy: Number three Number three keep your distance from marine life.
- 4:53Bryan Murphy: While Hawaii is home to so many stunning sea creatures, it's important to respect marine life and their habitats, as human interference could have serious impacts.
- 5:03Bryan Murphy: One such federal law requires all people in the oceans to stay at least 100 yards from the humpback whale.
- 5:10Bryan Murphy: For other sea life, including dolphins and endangered green sea turtle and monk seal, 50 yards is a recommended viewing distance while on the shoreline.
- 6:16Bryan Murphy: It is also important to remember that it is illegal to closely approach, touch or feed any marine mammal or sea turtle in the wild Now.
- 6:25Bryan Murphy: Additionally, please don't step on or remove pieces from reefs, as they are built by coral.
- 6:31Bryan Murphy: Another marine animal.
- 6:32Bryan Murphy: Number four All right Number four, going alongside of marine life ocean safety.
- 6:41Bryan Murphy: The waters in Hawaii are warm and inviting, but they also can be very dangerous and can change pretty quickly at any given time.
- 6:50Bryan Murphy: So swim at beaches staffed by lifeguards, always go into the water with somebody else and be alert.
- 6:57Bryan Murphy: One of the phrases that you'll hear a lot is when in doubt, don't go out, and that's just great advice.
- 7:03Bryan Murphy: And also, never turn your back to the ocean and look for beach hazard rating signs and always heed warnings and closures.
- 7:11Bryan Murphy: You can check out Hawaii beach safety dot com for current ocean conditions.
- 7:16Bryan Murphy: Also, be aware of box jellyfish, which their stings can cause swelling, itching, welts, rash, burning, pain, which is terrible.
- 7:26Bryan Murphy: So jellyfish usually appear off south facing beaches eight to 10 days after a full moon.
- 7:33Bryan Murphy: To get an idea of what those times are, I'll link in the episode description about the box jellyfish calendar and you can go ahead and see when to be aware of when those jellyfish are more likely to appear.
- 7:50Bryan Murphy: Number five number five most sunscreen is illegal in Hawaii.
- 7:55Bryan Murphy: Any sunscreen that isn't resave the sale of it is banned from the Hawaiian islands and recently, in the last six months or so, maui County, which includes Maui, lanai and Molokai.
- 8:08Bryan Murphy: They have went a step further.
- 8:10Bryan Murphy: They are now making it illegal to use those types of sunscreens.
- 8:15Bryan Murphy: If you're not sure if the sunscreen you're bringing is reef safe, I would just recommend to wait and buy that in Hawaii, because everything that is sold in Hawaii is supposed to be reef safe according to the law Number six.
- 8:35Bryan Murphy: Number six Hawaiian language.
- 8:37Bryan Murphy: Learn some common Hawaiian words by checking out the article that we've written on the on the website.
- 8:43Bryan Murphy: But here are a few to know Ahuyo means until we meet again.
- 8:47Bryan Murphy: Another one you might hear is Aina, which means land, alii, royalty, ecoma, my welcome.
- 8:56Bryan Murphy: Honohou means encore One more time.
- 8:59Bryan Murphy: Hey.
- 9:00Bryan Murphy: Al is a place of worship, connie is man, wahine is woman.
- 9:07Bryan Murphy: Kapu means forbidden.
- 9:09Bryan Murphy: Keep out.
- 9:09Bryan Murphy: Kiki is children.
- 9:11Bryan Murphy: Lanai is patio.
- 9:13Bryan Murphy: Mahalo, thank you, ohana, family.
- 9:17Bryan Murphy: Ono, licious or delicious, and those are just a few.
- 9:23Bryan Murphy: Probably, as you're there, you'll see some of those as you go about your day.
- 9:26Bryan Murphy: But feel free to use aloha, mohalo.
- 9:30Bryan Murphy: Just get in the aloha spirit, get in.
- 9:33Bryan Murphy: You're in Hawaii.
- 9:34Bryan Murphy: Using those phrases is totally acceptable and you're not being awkward or anything like that for using those phrases.
- 9:42Bryan Murphy: And along with that, feel free to throw the shaka.
- 9:46Bryan Murphy: That is totally acceptable as well.
- 9:49Bryan Murphy: And finally, number seven.
- 9:53Bryan Murphy: All right, number seven, the last one leave no trace.
- 9:58Bryan Murphy: Hawaii has strict laws about trespassing on both private land and government land not intended for public use.
- 10:05Bryan Murphy: Trespassing is always illegal, no matter how many other people you see doing it.
- 10:10Bryan Murphy: It reminds me of the episode that we just released about the Hayaku Stairs, or the stairway to heaven.
- 10:16Bryan Murphy: No matter which way you go about climbing up the mountain, as soon as you step on the structure of the Hayaku Stairs, it is considered trespassing, also known as being illegal.
- 10:27Bryan Murphy: As a visitor to the islands, it's important to respect all kapu.
- 10:30Bryan Murphy: So if you see that sign or hear that it's the keep out, no trespassing sign, same thing.
- 10:36Bryan Murphy: So always keep clear from kapu.
- 10:38Bryan Murphy: Throughout the islands You'll see signs that are carved.
- 10:42Bryan Murphy: They might be printed, doesn't matter, but if this has kapu on it, simply put it, this means keep out.
- 10:48Bryan Murphy: However, the deeper meaning is forbidden or taboo, and it references the ancient Hawaiian system of laws known as the kapu system.
- 10:57Bryan Murphy: That's kind of an interesting system.
- 10:59Bryan Murphy: Maybe we'll cover that in a future episode, but these laws are to help keep a sense of sacredness to these areas, for example, ancient burial grounds or sacred meeting places.
- 11:11Bryan Murphy: So please be respectful and honor the surrounding land and customs.
- 11:15Bryan Murphy: Also, with leave no trace.
- 11:17Bryan Murphy: If you are hiking, make sure that it is a maintained trail.
- 11:21Bryan Murphy: So anything that you hike in, make sure you hike out with it.
- 11:27Bryan Murphy: So if you see any trash, you can pick it up.
- 11:29Bryan Murphy: If you have trash, be sure to pack it out as well.
- 11:33Bryan Murphy: Also, a lot of the trail heads have brushes for your shoes.
- 11:38Bryan Murphy: You wanna make sure that you do that before you hike the trail and then after you hike the trail, so not to cross contaminate any of the land.
- 11:50Bryan Murphy: So there you have it seven quick things to know prior to visiting Hawaii.
- 11:55Bryan Murphy: We'd love to know which one I've missed.
- 11:57Bryan Murphy: I'm sure there's a lot of things I could have covered in this, but I just wanna give you some quick, actionable things to know before visiting Hawaii.
- 12:04Bryan Murphy: And be sure, like I said, coming up next week is the Made in Hawaii episode, so hit follow for that.
- 12:11Bryan Murphy: If you're on Apple or Spotify, make sure you hit follow so you'll get that episode as soon as it's released next Wednesday.
- 12:18Bryan Murphy: All right, my friends, thank you so much again for joining me on this episode of Hawaii's Best and until next time, be well aloha.
- 12:28Hawaii's Best: Mahalo for listening to this episode of Hawaii's Best.
- 12:32Hawaii's Best: To stay up to date on future episodes, please subscribe and visit us at Hawaii'sbesttravelcom.